Friday, September 12, 2008

First off, I’ve got to squee about how happy I am that Dan and Serena are sort-of kind-of back together. So friggin' cute! Though it’s going to be short-lived, since all signs point to S&D 2.0 ending during next week’s blackout. I don’t see why they have to break up again, other than it opens up new plot possibilities.

Damn, Blake Lively has a great job. She gets paid to wear amazing clothes and make out with her boyfriend. I’m kidding. Sort of.

But after this week’s episode, I found myself thinking about Vanessa. Which is new and different, since I usually don’t care that much about Vanessa. Other than griping about how much they changed her character for the TV show.

For one thing, we’re finally getting an explanation for why it is that Vanessa never seems to go to school. She’s being home-schooled. By… whom, exactly? Since the show seems to be staying true to her family background, V’s parents are artsy hippies who live in Vermont. She’s living with her flaky rock-star sister. So I guess she’s got a private tutor? Even though she can’t afford her rent?

As hokey as it might seem for TV, it would be nice if they took a page (hah!) from the books and forced Vanessa into Constance Billard. Without that connection to the rest of the cast, she’s just hanging out there in Brooklyn by herself, sticking her nose in other people’s business.

Vanessa started out as the GG counterpart to The OC’s Anna – quirky indie girl who is friends with the dorky outcast while he pursues his dream girl. But as time goes on, she’s become more the Theresa/that-character-played-by-Nikki-Reed: a girl who’s supposed to be the same age as the rest of the kids, yet seemingly doesn’t go to school, has a full-time job, and can build houses and coffee bars all by herself.

I forget where it was, but a few weeks ago I read a review of these first episodes. The writer thought that we might be heading down a Rufus/Vanessa path. I don’t know if it’s because that critic put the idea in my head or if I would have gotten there on my own, but I saw it this week. Ew, ew, ew! The idea is so thoroughly squicky. In so many ways. But if you think back to last season, the Rufus/Vanessa dynamic has always been vaguely inappropriate and too close. It has to do with Vanessa’s character being treated too much like an adult and not enough like a kid. And the extreme nosiness on her part that was meant to show her history with the Humphrey fam.

I can’t say loudly enough how much I hope they’re not going there with Rufus/Vanessa. That one article is the only place I’ve seen it mentioned and it was pure conjecture on the part of the writer. Please, please, let it stay that way.

And, hey, maybe while they’re not hooking Rufus up with his son’s ex and practically his surrogate daughter, they can explain the deal with Rufus and Lily. When last we saw them, they exchanged “I love you”s and giddily came to the off-screen decision that she would go ahead and marry Bart anyway. What the hell happened in that room? It’s been four months and inquiring minds want to know.

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